Coptic Cairo

Old Cairo

THE HISTORY OF THE BABYLON FORTRESS

In “A Guide to the Ancient Coptic Churches of Cairo”,
O.H.E. KHS-Burmester records significant historical
information about the fortress area. According to him,
Ptolemy (121-151 A.D.), in his book “Geography”, mentions a
town named Babylon which existed from Pharaonic times on
part of a site of what is now included in Cairo.

A canal ran through this town connecting the Nile with the
Red Sea. Roman Emperor Trajan (98-117 A.D.) reopened this
canal and also enlarged and equipped a fortress which was
located at the southern end of the town. The fortress,
known as the “Castle of Babylon”, or “Castle of Egypt”
(Khemi), was further enlarged by Emperor Arcadius (395-408
A.D.). There was a fluvial port at this location where
ships could anchor. In 335 A.D., the Roman Emperor altered
shipping routes from Alexandria to the Babylon fortress.
The area of Old Cairo was the first nucleus of present-day
Cairo.

It is not known exactly when this city became a bishopric
but it must have been before the first half of the 5th
century as a certain Cyrus, Bishop of Babylon, was present
at the Council of Ephesus held in 449 A.D.

At the time of the Arab conquest of Egypt, Babylon seemed
to have been a large city extending northwards as far as
Tendounias (‘Um Dunain’), the present district of
al-Azbakiah, where there was a fortified outpost. The Arab
general ‛Amr Ibn al-‘As captured this outpost and occupied
the city as far as the Castle of Egypt, to which he laid
siege. On April 9th, 641 A.D. this castle, which the Arabs
named “Qasr ash-Sham’a (wax castle) surrendered. After the
Arab conquest of Egypt, the name Babylon was more commonly
used to denote the district immediately around the Castle
of Egypt or Qasr ash-Sham’a. Eventually this became a
quarter inhabited mainly by Christians.

This fortress is similar to the Roman ones found in Europe
and North Africa. At one time the course of the River Nile
flowed under the fortress walls at the Roman Orthodox St.
George’s Church. Roman methods of construction used a
pattern of five blocks of limestone with three blocks of
red bricks. The fortress, as well as older parts of the
church, contain such patterns in their foundations.

The fortress’ towers are almost 10 meters high and 31
meters in diameter. The walls are almost 3 meters thick.
The floor of the fortress is below the level of St. George
Street by about 6 meters due to city construction over
time.